Recently an English teacher in Mianyang City, Sichuan, China, Xu — who also calls himself Oliver — is among two-dozen teachers selected from 700 applicants to teach Mandarin abroad through the federal Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP). It’s AHS’s third year offering Mandarin and second year hosting a TCLP teacher.

“I hope students come away with an understanding of Chinese culture, recognize the similarities we have with people from other countries and acknowledge and appreciate the kind of things they can offer to us,” said AHS Principal Maria Villano, who met AHS’s 2012 TCLP teacher, Bo Yu, in Washington, D.C. last summer. “To have a teacher fluent in another language bring that whole culture to share with us, gives us a better understanding and grasp of the language and people.”

“Oliver brings such an authentic perspective to the classroom, I think it’s mutually beneficial,” Ritz said. “He is learning a lot about our education system and our culture and we learn a lot of things from him, as I have already. Students are really getting a different perspective, which is enriching.”

Different students

Monday, Xu showed students photos of his wife and 2-year-old son (whom he called “Oli”). He handed out handwritten letters from his own students inChina, each presenting a single character for their American pen pals to learn, and invited AHS students to write back.

Chinese and American students are very different, Xu said.

“Chinese students respect teachers very much and can’t challenge the teacher’s opinion. If I’m wrong and I make a mistake, they keep silent and won’t tell me. If they have questions, many students aren’t brave enough to ask,” Xu said. “Here, students bravely tell you what they need. They communicate very smoothly and challenge the teacher. They keep the teacher learning every day.”

Xu also showed students slides of Chinese characters, demonstrating how the sign for “tree” doubles to indicate “woods,” and triples to indicate “Forest.” The signs for “fire” and “mountain” together make the sign for “volcano,” and the signs for “red” and “mouth” mean “lipstick.” The symbol for “person” evolved from the likeness of a person bowing, Xu told the class, explaining this early sign was first found on oracle bones and turtle shells.

“We can’t give students the answers. We have to make them give the answer themselves,” said Xu, who refuses to simply write out sentences and order them copied down. “Never underestimate a student’s potential.”

Mandarin is a category 3 language, according to Ritz — it’s among the most difficult in the world to learn. One syllable can have four different meanings depending on how you say it. No two written characters are alike. Learning it takes almost triple the time it takes to learn French or Spanish.

But a few students are already taking level 3 Mandarin at AHS, Ritz said.

“Mandarin appeals to different students, maybe some who aren’t interested in French or Spanish. They’re interested in the challenge and they seem to have a lot of fun with it,” Ritz said. “Learning any language challenges students. It’s sort of like problem-solving, to be faced with a language you don’t understand and to figure it out.”

International world

About 25 percent of the world’s population speaks Mandarin Chinese as a first language, making it a globally important language to learn, Ritz said.

Villano agreed.

“It’s an international world and our country is dealing with businesses and organizations from all around the world. It’s important to learn the culture and language of the people with whom we’re working,” Villano said. “The more we understand the cultures of the people we’re dealing with, the better equipped we’ll all be to manage that when we go out into the world.”

TCLP also offers Arabic, said Villano, which could be an option for AHS in the future.

In the meantime, Xu is planning an exciting year for his students, who will dabble in Chinese opera, tai chi and calligraphy. They will celebrateChina’s Moon Festival and may even take a trip toChinatown.

“I want to know more about different cultures and learn English better so I can go back and serve my students. I also hope more students learn to love Chinese culture,” Xu said.

For Xu, one thing is the same no matter where he is.

“I chose to be a teacher because I love kids very much. I’d like to stay with young people forever,” Xu said. “They keep me learning and they keep me young.”